Winning Team Selected for the 2023-2024 Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl

Shreveport, LA. (April 10, 2024) – The 2023-24 Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl has come to a close with teams from The University of Utah and Louisiana Tech University presenting their final projects in person to a panel of Radiance Subject Matter Experts at Radiance’s Headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama on April 9, 2024.

This year’s Innovation Bowl topic dealt with the challenges of increased thermal loads within microelectronics packaging as the number of ‘chiplets’ within a package increases to improve overall performance. Both teams focused on innovative designs for effectively cooling these advanced, complex chip packaging designs and developed working prototypes of their solution. The competition was extremely tight this year between the two teams.

Team Cooler U from The University of Utah, consisting of students Trevor Whitaker and Branden Webb, and faculty advisor Sameer Rao, won the $25,000 grand prize for their project titled, “Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of Supercritical CO2 in an Additively Manufactured Cold Plate.” Their innovative approach, while still in the research phase, identified a potential method with many attractive features, most notably the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a cooling medium which results in a significant reduction in the required pumping power. Their submission was recognized as the top project among the competing teams.

The runner-up team, Too Hot to Prandtl from Louisiana Tech University, also presented a noteworthy submission. The team, consisting of Ethan Dowell, Victoria Fontenot, Christian Smith, Grace Smith, Jace Peloquin, and Faculty Advisor Dr. Arden Moore, demonstrated their approach innovative thinking with their project, “Thermomechanical Design for Densley Packaged Chiplets.”

Original 2023-24 Innovation Bowl Challenge

The 2023-24 Innovation Bowl topic was “Micro-Electronic Packaging.” Micro-Electronic Packaging is becoming more complex and integral for increased performance and specialized applications. Advancements are needed in designing novel hardware architectures and the means to address thermal considerations in these tightly integrated chiplet and heterogeneous, 2.5D/3D packages. For general and special purpose processor to ‘optimize’ performance, design complexity increases as advancements in hardware acceleration require moving beyond monolithic integrated circuits. Heterogenous Packaging techniques, such as multi-chip modules and 2.5/3D ICs, provide an avenue for easily integrating multiple chips into a single packaged device with notable reductions in communication delay. By integrating multiple chips onto a shared substrate containing chip-to-chip interconnect such as interposers or Through-Silicon Vias (TSV), these techniques provide flexibility in integrating chips designed in various process nodes for further optimization in cost and performance.

Innovation Bowl Defined

A joint effort with the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, the Radiance Technologies Innovation Bowl is an academic competition between schools and conferences affiliated with the Independence Bowl. Schools compete for a $25,000 grand prize by developing innovative approaches to a current research and development topic selected by Radiance Technologies.

Evaluation of submissions is a two-step process where teams submit their ideas and approaches to Radiance Technologies before the end of the fall term. Scientists and researchers within Radiance Technologies pick three finalists, announced at the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. These teams then further develop their ideas in the spring semester through prototypes, models and simulation or experimentation and presented their findings in person to a panel of experts.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is college football’s 11th most-historic bowl game and celebrated its 47th edition on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the California Golden Bears, 34-14. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies – ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference, team, and television agreements also run through the 2025 season. Army West Point is slated to match up against the Pac-12 Conference in 2024, and the Big 12 Conference is lined up to face Conference USA in 2025.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, X and Instagram at @IndyBowl.